What is weaning?
The process of gradually introducing solid foods to your baby in order to meet their growing nutritional needs.

What does weaning involve?
Weaning normally begins with you introducing solid foods into your baby's diet alongside the usual milk feeds. You can gradually introduce your baby to minced or mashed foods and foods that need to be chewed. However you can continue to breast or bottle-feed your baby alongside solid foods for as long as it's comfortable.

When should I start weaning?
When your baby is aged about six months. For the first few months of life, your baby will receive all the nutrition and energy his or her body needs from breast or formula milk. However, once babies are six months old, they may not get all the calories and nutrients they need from milk alone.

How do I know when my baby's ready for weaning?
Your baby might be hungry more often, start to wake in the night to be fed having previously slept through, or start to show an interest in your food.
If you are unsure or concerned about when to start, speak to your health visitor.

How do I get started?
It is important to go at your baby's pace. Start by giving your baby small tastes of food part way through his or her feed. Don't be surprised if your baby doesn't seem to know what to do with the food and it comes straight back out. Your baby doesn't know how to swallow food at first, but with luck some of the food will slide down your baby's throat.

What foods should I try?
Start with a small amount of pureed vegetable or fruit, such as carrot, parsnip, banana, cooked apple, or pear. You can also try baby rice – ground rice with added vitamins and minerals which can be made up using breast or formula milk. Do not add salt or sugar to any of these foods. Gradually increase the amount of solid food offered over the next few weeks, moving from one solid meal a day to three. Add different tastes and textures, by mashing, sieving or pureeing a small amount and offering it to your baby. Start to include mashed meat and poultry, and pulses such as chickpeas or lentils.

Are there any foods I should avoid?
Avoid salt, as it cannot be processed by your baby's kidneys and can be extremely damaging. Also steer clear of sugar, honey and nuts, which put your baby at risk of choking and can cause a life-threatening anaphylactic shock in rare cases.